A Drop In The Sea
by lepylil
Summary: Lyla misses Zac. She is hesitant to admit it, but she does. Even though she and Nixie are back with the pod, she feels disconnected after her time on land. Lyla decides to leave the pod... but where will she go? Out to sea... or back to land? This story picks up where season one ended, but takes a different direction than season two.
1. Chapter 1

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

Lyla watched as the water fell like steady teardrops from an unknown place on the roof of the cave. Usually drops of her own would be falling from her eyes, but today she was all cried out.

'_I've spent too long dwelling on that silly land boy.'_ Lyla thought as she pursed her lips, angry at herself for acting like a heartbroken human.

Despite how she _wanted_ to act, Lyla missed Zac. She and Nixie were traveling with the pod, searching for a new home along the coast.

Her heart wasn't in it, though. She swam with the pod each day, following simply because it was easier than not.

She could talk to Nixie about it, but Nixie wouldn't understand. Nixie still wants what is best for the pod. The months they spent on land were simply part of a mission, a mission to help the pod. Now that she is back with all her mermaid friends, she seems to have forgotten about the relationship and friends they made on land.

As Lyla rests her head on her crossed arms, she swishes her tail from side to side in the water behind her, trying to relax. The cave she is in is almost completely dark and she can hear small creatures scurrying on the rocks deep in the darkness.

'_I like the dark. It is lonely. And all around you at the same time. No one cares what you look like in the dark. I could be hideous and no one would care… because no one sees you.'_

Even though she is surrounded by mermaids that she has always had a deep connection with, Lyla feels lonelier than ever.

'_I finally understand how Zac feels. He's all alone up there. Surrounded by people, but they don't understand him. He's different because of his connection with the sea. _

_Now I'm different because of my connection with the land.'_

Lyla shakes her head, trying to break herself out of her thoughts. With a sigh she dives far down into the deep bluish-black water in search of the entrance she used before. When she finds it, she darts out of the cavern and back into the bright aqua water lit up by the sun glimmering through it.

She can see the pod, not far from where she is. All the women and girls are sitting around on some rocks above the water. They're laughing, brushing and braiding one another's hair, telling stories… like sisters. All connected with a bond deeper than any family or friendship.

With a frown, Lyla realizes that she has disconnected herself from it.

She also realizes that she doesn't have any desire to go back.

"Nixie!" Lyla called out as she darted towards her friend.

Nixie's dark hair swirls in the water around her shoulders as she turns and scoops with her hands to keep herself level on the surface.

"What is, Lyla? I'm in a hurry. There's a whole lot of shellfish over there just calling my name. Naira and I are going to go get some for the pod and then we're all going to ride the current out east a ways. Medina said she heard there are some deserted islands up there that may turn out to be the perfect place for the pod to settle down for a while. The hatchlings are starting to tire from all this swimming."

Lyla's eyebrows knitted together, her eyes catching the golden light reflecting off the water.

"I'm leaving." she blurted. Once the words left her mouth, her lips stayed open for a moment as if there was something else she wanted to say but it just wouldn't come out.

"Where to? To look for a different island? I mean, if you aren't keen of going east you could bring it up with the mermaid council-"

"I mean I am leaving the pod. I can't… I just can't. Not after… it's not right."

"Lyla… I don't understand. Everything's been fine! We've been welcomed back into the pod, we've been forgiven for the mistakes we made with that land boy situation. It's in the past! Everything is back to normal!"

"It's not normal. It doesn't feel like it used to."

"The pod hasn't changed!"

"No. I've changed." Lyla said quietly, almost a whisper. Her voice was carried off by the ocean wind, but Nixie heard her.

Both girls float for a moment, silent as they stare into each other's eyes as if they can find the solution within them. Nixie looks away, pulled back into her own reality where everything is perfect and the sisterhood of the pod is the solution to everything.

"Maybe you haven't tried hard enough. You can start to socialize more, reach out. Some of the younger girls have been looking for someone to teach them new ways to make shell necklaces! You can join Naira and me today, and tomorrow we can talk to some of the older mermaids and see if there is anything you can do to help with the hatchlings-"

"Nixie… I'm sorry."

Nixie just looked at Lyla, a single tear falling from her eye that could easily be mistaken for one of the many drops of seawater on her face.

"Why?" Nixie asked, her voice cracking.

"I'm different now. I've seen more than the rest of the pod has…"

"It's all because of that stupid land boy! If we hadn't gone on land, everything could still be fine. None of this would have happened if we'd never gotten involved!"

"I don't regret anything. I'm not upset with anyone. This is just the way things are." Lyla said, resolved but distant.

"So what are you going to do? Just roam the sea by yourself? Be a loner?" Nixie asked in an almost accusatory voice.

"I've always been a loner." Lyla said with a slight smile.

"What am I supposed to tell the pod?" Nixie asked, choked up again with emotion.

"I don't care. Tell them the truth."

"So… goodbye?"

"Goodbye." Lyla recited as if she was reading from a script. "Take care of yourself, Nixie." she added with more emotion.

"Back at 'ya." Nixie said as she forced a smile through the drops that were now unmistakably tears.

Lyla and Nixie hugged, holding on as though they would never see each other again.

For all they knew, they wouldn't.


	2. Chapter 2

The teal colored water surrounds Lyla like glass as she races through it. She is swimming faster than she ever has before, even though she has no destination. She feels a rush to get _away._ Away from the pod, away from her depression. Maybe if she can swim fast enough, she can simply leave it all behind.

Jellyfish pulse pass her, being pushed away by her speed.

_Jellyfish. Like Jell-O, on land. The squishy stuff. It was sweet._

Lyla finds herself doing that a lot lately, comparing everything she sees in the ocean to things she encountered on land.

She swims through schools of many kinds of fish; yellow, orange, red, green, purple, big, small, skinny, long. Usually she would stop and watch them, counting all the different ones she could find. She would swim through them with grace, twirling and laughing as they tickled her skin. Today is different. Today, she is practically oblivious to each beautiful wonder of the sea she passes.

After swimming for several hours, Lyla slows. It took a while with her extreme stamina, but she is finally beginning to tire. It hits her like a crashing wave, and suddenly she is unable to keep her eyes open.

She is far out in the open ocean, and there is no place for her to safely rest her head. Lyla is too sad and exhausted to care. She lets out a bubble stream of resignation as she allows her muscles to go limp. Her tail simply relaxes, and she lies on her back staring at the surface as she drifts to the ocean floor far below.

Her arms float at her sides as if she is in a recliner chair. Lyla idly watches as the color of the water around her changes from aqua to blue, blue to navy, navy to deep purple, and finally to black.

She is sure there are creatures brushing past her that she has never seen before. The deepest depths of the ocean are a mystery even to mermaids. As a long slimy thing slithers by and caresses her arm, Lyla shudders and closes her eyes. It doesn't matter though, it is pitch black and Lyla can't see a thing anyway.

She finally hits the ocean floor, and luckily it is sand and not jagged rocks she lands on. A large creature with tentacles touches her fluke, then with a swish of water it is gone.

_What am I doing? I can't believe I left the pod…they're my home… my family… _

_Am I insane?_

_Where will I go? It's true I enjoy being a loner, but it can get... lonely. _

_What if something happens to me? No one would know…_

Lyla turns her brain off for a moment, trying to relax. She listens, and can hear the deep encompassing voices of whales off in the distance. Their language is like a song, a haunting melody few understand.

_I made the right decision. I couldn't travel with the pod anymore. I felt so empty around them. _

_I feel empty now, though. I am on my own, I got away from the mermaids giggling and fawning over each other's hair… why am I not happy?_

_What is missing?_

Then it dawns on Lyla… land. She misses land. She misses wind, trees, birds. She misses Jell-O, cupcakes, t-shirts.

She misses Zac.

All the things she despised upon first exploring land, she now longs for. What was once foreign to her, she grew to love, and now she wants it back.

A part of Lyla is disgusted with herself. Everything she was taught while growing up was that no mermaid should ever _want_ anything to do with land. Mermaids in exile are _forced_ to live on land, as if it is the worst punishment possible.

_What is wrong with me? Can I even be considered a true mermaid anymore?_

Lyla frowns, disturbed by the thought.

She shakes her head, realizing that she will always be a true mermaid. It is not as though she doesn't want to be a mermaid anymore, she simply wants both. She wants to live in both worlds, side by side. Exploring land when she chooses, and frolicking in the sea when she wants to.

So now she has narrowed down the possibilities, but the question still remains…

_Where will I go?_

Lyla has been at the bottom of the sea floor for so long that she has lost her sense of time. For all she knows, she has been in the darkness of the deep for years.

She is jolted from her thoughts as a very large something nudges her side. She jerks away, her senses on high alert. As hard as she tries, Lyla can see nothing.

Again, the creature nudges her. This time it feels less menacing and more playful. Still cautious, Lyla reaches out blindly. Beneath her hand she feels the familiar, thick, surprisingly soft skin of a whale.

As Lyla is still softly petting, the whale creates a noise that is both comforting and hopeful. For a moment, Lyla wonders if whales are mind readers.

Slowly, the whale begins to swim away, sending a rush of water in Lyla's direction. The whale makes another sound, a friendly one that curls up at the end.

Lyla, now feeling like the mind reader, carefully reaches out and holds onto the whale's relatively small dorsal fin.

The whale then begins to ascend smoothly, making friendly noises all the while.

Lyla can't help smiling as the whale spins playfully in the water, twirling simply for her enjoyment.

When the whale performs a full summersault in the water, Lyla lets out her first real laugh in a long time. It comes from deep in her chest, as though it has been waiting there a while to be released.

Lyla feels safe, free, and practically giddy as the whale gives her a fantastic ride to the surface.

When they finally reach water with enough light for Lyla to see, she realizes what kind of whale she has befriended. It is a Cuvier's beaked whale, a rare deep water whale that tends to avoid boats. It is about eight times Lyla's size, yet she feels totally at ease in the creature's presence.

The whale looks a lot like a giant dolphin, dark grey in color with intricate scars and scratches on its skin that show many years of life in the ocean.

Lyla smiles and lets go of the whale as they reach the surface. While Lyla floats and takes in much needed breaths of air, the whale breaches not far from her. Completely airborne, the whale looks absolutely magical as it defies gravity.

The whale lands with a huge splash, creating waves that entirely wash over Lyla. She giggles and sputters as the whale returns and positions itself directly in front of her.

"Thank you. I don't know how you knew… but I really needed that." Lyla says as she swims over and places one soft kiss on the whale.

Her new friend releases a misty spray of water up into the air, almost as if saying 'You are welcome', before returning to the depths of the ocean.

No, Lyla would definitely not want to give up the magic of the ocean forever. She loves it far too much for that. However, the world is a magical place, and perhaps it is time Lyla searches for some of that magic on land.


	3. Chapter 3

Lyla is nearing the seaside town that she inhabited during her time on land. As she gets closer, she starts to notice more boats and has to be cautious of where she swims.

She finally is close enough to see the café they used to frequent. Carefully poking her head out of the water so as not to be seen, she watches as the people walk around on the deck and enjoy their food and drinks in the sunshine. She idly wonders if Sirena and Zac still spend their time there.

_Is Sirena still with David? Does she still hang out with Zac? _

_Is Zac still with Evie?_

Lyla realizes that this last question sticks in her brain longer than the rest.

_It does not matter if he is. I am not returning to land to go running to his side. There was nothing ever officially between us._

Lyla tells herself this, but it hurts her to think there was nothing between them. She felt something. Zac was important to her. She has hardly ever interacted with boys, mer or not, besides the time she spent with Zac. So, perhaps she has nothing to go off of, but surely not _every_ boy makes her feel like she did with him.

Diving beneath the emerald tinted salty water, Lyla swims away with minimal splash to avoid being noticed by people on land. Without even thinking about it, she heads to Zac's house.

When she reaches the dock she recognizes as the one attached to the house Zac lives in, Lyla stops. She hovers, lightly holding on to one of the algae and mussel covered thick wooden poles holding up the small pier.

As Lyla floats in the water, she wonders why she instinctively swam to Zac's instead of to Rita's.

Lyla feels nervous. She hasn't seen Zac in over month. During her time on land, it felt like she saw him at least every other day.

Pushing her nerves aside, Lyla propels herself out of the water and then pulls herself up onto the deck in one swift movement. Anxiously looking around, she breathes a sigh of relief when she confirms there are no land people around.

She quickly evaporates the water on her skin, a trick she learned while having to go back and forth between human and mermaid form so often.

Jumping up, Lyla heads for the door of the boat house Zac lives in before she can change her mind.

She lightly knocks on his door, and then pulls her hand back and holds it to her chest. Lyla bites her lip, thinking about backing down and running back to the safety of the water.

Before she can turn to escape, Zac opens the door.

"Lyla…" Zac says with a shocked expression on his face.

_Is that a good shocked? Or a bad shocked? Does he not want to see me? What is he thinking? Is it too late to run? Wow, his eyes are pretty. Are guys supposed to have pretty eyes? I like them…_

"What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Zac asks, his eyebrows creasing in concern.

"I don't know." Lyla says, unsure of what to say.

"You don't know if everything is okay?"

"I mean… I don't know what I am doing here… I am just here. Is that okay?" Lyla asks slowly, suddenly very self-conscious.

"Yeah… sure… I mean, of course! That's totally okay. Come in!" Zac stutters enthusiastically.

Lyla follows him and then closes the door behind her.

"Jell-O!" Lyla exclaims.

"What?"

"I missed Jell-O."

"You came onto land for Jell-O?"

"Sort of…"

"Well then we'll find you the best Jell-O there is." Zac says with a smile.

Lyla decides that Zac's smile is the best thing she has ever seen. Definitely better than any Jell-O.


	4. Chapter 4

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I mean, when Sirena told me you and Nixie had gone to live with the pod…" Zac says as he sits down on the couch.

"I didn't think I would see you again, either." Lyla admits as she follows Zac and sits down.

"So… are you going to stay this time?" Zac asks "Or… are you just… visiting?" he continues, a slight amount of hurt in his voice, as if the thought of her leaving causes him pain.

"I would like to stay. I just couldn't live with the pod anymore, not after my time on land. I felt so different, like I couldn't relate to them." Lyla explains, looking down like she is ashamed that she no longer relates to her friends in the pod.

"I'm sorry." Zac says with an amount of sympathy in his voice that surprises Lyla. She simply shrugs, brushing it off.

"Are you going to live with Rita again?" Zac asks.

"I guess so… I am not sure. I don't want to be a burden. I don't know."

"You know… you could live with me. I mean, if you needed a place to sleep. Only if you want to. It could just be temporary, or not, I mean… whatever you need." Zac rambles.

"Really?" Lyla asks, surprised.

"You don't have to. If was just an idea. Forget about it-"

"I would really appreciate it." Lyla interrupts him with a smile.

"Yeah?" Zac asks with a grin.

"Yeah." Lyla nods, still smiling.

The two mer-people sit on the couch in comfortable silence for a moment, both of them still surprised that they are in each other's presence.

"What is like to live in the ocean, all the time? I mean, compared to life here on land." Zac finally asks.

"The ocean is magical. It's full of secrets and mysteries that can fill you with so much joy, or fear. You know that, though." Lyla is silent for a moment, thinking "I don't know… it is so hard to describe. After living in the ocean… well, after a while you just feel connected. You feel like you are a part of the rhythmic tides and the constant current. It is… amazing."

Zac nods, satisfied by her answer. He is almost afraid to push her further, for he fears that she will change her mind and return to the sea.

"What has it been like for you the past month? Anything new with life on land?" Lyla asks with a teasing smile.

"Nothing. Nothing new. Not since you left. I feel like I have been waiting for something. But now… now you are back." Zac speaks looking straight ahead, as if he is shy to admit this to Lyla.

"Oh." Lyla says, though it is more of a soft release of air.

The two are quiet again, feeling like they can finally relax now that they are in each other's company.

Lyla breathes in, and then out, and then carefully lowers her head to rest on Zac's shoulder. She hears him inhale and tense up. She thinks about pulling back, but then he lets out a breath and relaxes.

After a while, they both fall asleep.

There are three knocks on the door of Zac's room. Zac and Lyla are both very much asleep, peacefully resting and ignorant of anything but their dream world.

"Zac?" Evie calls out, finally opening the door.

Evie's voice and the fresh sea air sweeping in jolts Lyla and Zac awake. Lyla practically jumps away from Zac in her haste to remove her head from his shoulder.

"Evie!" Zac says, surprised but groggy. He rubs his eyes in a way that makes Lyla smile at his boyishness.

Lyla thinks back to the last time she saw Evie. For a while, they were pretty hostile towards each other. They ended things on good terms though, once Evie found out the truth about Zac and the girls.

Evie takes in Zac and Lyla on the couch. They are now feet apart, but when she first came in…

"Evie… it's not… we were just…" Zac stutters, not sure of what to say. What can he say?

"Don't try and explain, Zac." Evie says with a look of acceptance on her face.

Before Zac can say anything else, Lyla leaps to her feet and is sprinting out the door. She races to the water and gracefully dives in, sending drops of water like expensive crystals flying into the air behind her.

_What was I expecting? I figured he would still be with her. _

_I shouldn't have showed up. _

_This was all a mistake. _

_He doesn't have feelings for me. _

_He probably never did. _

_I had to get out of there. I couldn't listen to him say that we weren't doing what Evie thought. True, we weren't doing anything more than resting, but it sure as shellfish wasn't nothing. _

_Not to me, anyway._

"Evie… I'm sorry." Zac says as he rises to his feet.

"How long have you been seeing her? Behind my back?" Evie shakes her head, a hurt expression on her face.

"I haven't. Really, I would never _cheat._" Zac spits the word out like the worst thing he could do.

"Then what did I just walk in on?"

"She really did just show up today, I haven't seen her in weeks." Zac pauses, "You walked in on what could be… the beginning of something." he admits, although his face has the look of a child caught red handed doing something they are not supposed to be.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I have to go after her." he says, upset, but determined.

"Are we breaking up?"

"You feel it too, don't you? Nothing has been the same between us since I first became a merman."

Zac looks at Evie, anxiously. He worries that with each passing second he is losing his chance with Lyla. Evie waits, unsure about this turn of events. She is thinking about the past few weeks, and how little time they have spent together.

"You would have broken up with me today anyway, right?" Evie asks, her eyes starting to tear up.

"Of course! I would never have pursued anything with Lyla behind your back. It's just… it's time."

Evie nods, sad that their relationship is over, but not bitter. She and Zac haven't done any of the things couples are supposed to do since those two mermaid girls left. He has seemed even more distant than he was before.

"I have to go." Zac says, already moving towards the door.

"I know. You do." Evie walks towards Zac, and embraces him for the last time.

"Be happy, Zac. I haven't seen you happy in… a while." Evie whispers in his ear before she pulls away.

Zac sighs guiltily, but he knows that he can't go on calling Evie his girlfriend. You are supposed to do things and go places with your girlfriend. The only time he has seen her lately is in the halls at school. It's unfair to her, to keep her trapped in a relationship like this.

"Thank you." Zac says before he turns and runs towards the water, towards Lyla.


	5. Chapter 5

Lyla floated in the moon pool, her head resting on her folded arms. Her teeth were clenched, her lips pursed. She was angry at herself for letting her guard down, for being so…so…

Human.

That's it. She was acting like a silly, love-struck land girl.

She should have stayed with the pod. With Nixie, and with the people she knew accepted her.

How could she have made such a whale sized mistake?

She's _better_ than this.

Lyla spun around as she heard something surfacing in the water next to her.

"I thought I would find you here." Zac said with a teasing smile.

Lyla turned away, focusing on the rocks.

Zac let out a sigh.

"Lyla, I'm not with Evie anymore." Zac says.

Lyla stayed turned away from Zac, but she tilted her head slightly to gaze over her shoulder. Instead of looking right at Zac, she gazed intensely at the water in front of him. The drops of water on her shoulders sparkled like intentionally placed gemstones.

"I told her that I can't be with her anymore… it's just not the same as it used to be…" Zac continued. He trailed off, noticing how serene Lyla looked floating there in the pool. The moonlight cascaded softly down through the opening in the cave up above, illuminating Lyla's features. Zac thought about how she looked so angelic, so magical, so… perfect.

But she wasn't perfect, and that was one of the things he loved most about her.

"So, that's it then. You're relationship fizzles out with Evie, and you're here to claim the next girl in line? The shiny new girlfriend, model 2.0? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way." Lyla's anger radiated through the water, and Zac winced at the emotion coming off her.

"God, no! It isn't like that, Lyla. It isn't like that and you know it." Zac shook his head, anger of his own now seeping into the cavern.

"Well, what am I supposed to think?" Lyla said with both anger and defeat in her voice at the same time.

"Get over yourself Lyla!"

"I was there for you, all of last year, I _helped_ you when no one else would! Do you know how hard that was, what a strain it put on my friendship with Nixie and Sirena?"

"Yeah, you were there, until you weren't! You lied to me about being a mermaid for the majority of our… friendship." Zac trailed off, unsure of what to call what they had.

"I had to! You know that now!" Lyla exclaimed.

"How do I know if I can even trust that what we had… what we felt before… how can I trust that it was real?"

Lyla shook her head, her face set in a stone mask of anger.

"I don't want to get into all of this. It's done." Lyla said, her voice oddly vacant of any emotion.

Zac floated for a moment, wanting to say something but he wasn't sure what. He thought about slipping under the water and swimming away into the calming blue depths, but he knew that wasn't the answer. He couldn't keep running away, and he didn't want to.

"Do you know how much I thought about you this past month? Since you left… it's only been about you. Every thought, everything I do, it all finds a way to relate back to you. And yeah, maybe I'm a little mad about it. What right do you have to consume every thought of mine when you aren't even here? You're in me now, Lyla. And god help me, but there's no turning back." Zac said, his voice cracking at the end from emotion.

"You think I wanted this, that it hasn't been the same for me? I TRIED to go back to the ocean, to be happy with the way things were before. But I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy because _you_ weren't there. Talk about unfair, I couldn't even be around the other mermaids, the people I once thought of as my family. And that's on you. That's your fault. This wasn't the plan! I wasn't supposed to fall in-" Lyla's hand flew to her mouth, gasping as she realized what she was about to say.

"I didn't… I didn't mean…" Lyla stuttered, trying to reclaim her almost declaration of love.

Zac's eyes widened. He wanted it to be true. He wanted so badly for her to love him back.

"Lyla…" Zac started, unsure of what to say.

"No! I can't love you! You're a land-boy, and it's wrong… and I just… I just _can't..._" Tears were now streaming down Lyla's face, falling like small explosions onto the water below.

Without thinking, Zac reached out to Lyla. He pulled her into his arms, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Shh… Lyla, it's okay…" Zac said, his voice laced with a sadness that came from seeing Lyla in such of a state of pain. She was being torn between two worlds, and the one she was drawn to most was the one that she'd always been told was wrong.

Lyla curled into Zac's chest, letting her tears fall as she released her stress and confusion into him. It felt _so_ good to give in, to not have to contain all her emotions within herself.

The two merpeople stayed locked in an embrace, letting the restrictions of time around them melt away. Zac would swoosh his tail from time to time to keep them afloat, allowing Lyla to finally relax.

Lyla looked up to find Zac staring down at her with an intensity she'd never seen before. Never directed at her, anyway. It was one thing, and one thing only. Love.

"Well, what do you say we go home now?" Zac asked, breaking the long and peaceful silence. He held his breath after he said it, waiting on Lyla's response.

"Home?" Lyla breathed, remembering Zac's earlier offer to live with him.

"Yeah. Home." Zac smiled, and Lyla smiled back with enough light to set Zac's heart on fire.


	6. Chapter 6

"So… I can make up this couch here really nice. I have a ton of spare pillows, and blankets if you get cold…. I think it'll be fine for now. But if you don't like it, we can come up with something else! Maybe an air mattress, or a roll away bed… and we can get whatever you want tomorrow. I mean, since you'll be living here, you can choose whatever pattern of comforter you want..." Zac rambled.

Lyla nodded and bit her lip, looking at the couch and the soft things he was pulling out a closet. She wasn't sure which ones were pillows and which ones were blankets, but Zac kept piling them on top of the small couch.

"That's all very nice Zac… so, where do I sleep?" Lyla asked, confused.

"Huh?" Zac paused his attack on the couch with random blankets and pillows.

"Oh… land people do sleep, right? I mean, I was sure that you do. At night, right? But I don't see any adequate water pools in your living area…" Lyla looked around as if she would find a pool of water she hadn't noticed before.

Zac couldn't help smiling and letting out a warm laugh. Lyla could feel her insides tingle at the sound of laugh, it made her feel joyful and nervous and excited all at the same time. Smothering these feelings, she frowned and raised her eyebrow at Zac.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You mean you've never slept in a bed before?" Zac asked with a slight grin still on his face.

"A bed… that's the rectangular soft thing, right? No. Why would I do that?"

"Beds are where people… land people… sleep. They use the blankets and pillows to be comfortable." Zac explained.

He smiled fondly as realization dawned on her face and she put the pieces together in her head. He loved Lyla's perception of the world. Everything was so new to her, and she delighted in each thing with a child-like curiosity. It was refreshingly beautiful. It made Zac want to show her everything the world has to offer. He wanted to introduce her to every new experience, and he wanted to watch each small and magical moment as she discovered the world.

"Oh! Well… that seems like a good use of these soft things, I suppose." Lyla mused, delicately fingering the soft fabric covering one of the pillows Zac has tossed on the couch.

"Where did you sleep when you stayed with Rita before?" Zac asked.

"We just floated in the pool of the cave entrance."

"Really? And you were able to relax enough to sleep while just floating?" Zac asked, surprised.

"It's so relaxing! The water just encompasses you, and you feel completely safe. It's like being home… giving in to the power of the sea, and trusting it enough not to betray you. You feel so in-tune with the ocean, so at peace." Lyla described as she became lost in her words and memories of many nights spent in the ocean.

"That sounds… magical." Zac said, as lost in Lyla's description as she was.

"You'll have to try it sometime! Maybe we could go to one of the caves offshore…" Lyla said, thinking about where would be a safe place for Zac to try his first night out in the sea.

Zac smiled, as excited at the idea of Lyla showing him her world as the thought of showing her everything on land.

"I would love that." Zac said, grinning.

There was a pause, as if they didn't want to break the spell of temporary and fleeting happiness.

"So… for tonight…" Lyla began.

"I can fill up the bathtub if you'd like! It's not as much room as an ocean, but you could float." Zac offered.

"No! I mean… I want to experience life just like the land people do. If you sleep in a bed, then I'll do the same." Lyla said with a resolved smile.

"Right then. Well… there's the couch."

Lyla nodded, confusion causing her eyebrows to knit together as she tried figure out the best way to go about this new sleeping arrangement. She decided to lay out on the couch as if she were floating, the various pillows and blankets piled beneath her in random lumps.

Zac watched in amusement as she tried to position herself in a comfortable way.

"You know, it would work better if you put the blankets on _top_ of you." Zac said semi-sarcastically.

Lyla shot a glare at him as she continued to fight with the pillows beneath her.

"I can figure it out myself, thank you very much." Lyla said.

Zac shrugged, turning towards his own bed and slipping off his shoes. He hesitated as he was about to pull his t-shirt over his head. 'Would that be weird?' he thought. He always slept shirtless, but with Lyla in the room… She'd seen him shirtless plenty of times in the water. 'It's not any different. Right?'

He turned back to look at Lyla, who was still struggling on the couch. For the first time, Zac noticed that she was still in the same clothes she was the last time he saw her in human-form. On the dock, wearing a loose t-shirt and burgundy shorts.

Lyla's eyes were squeezed closed, as if she was trying to force herself into sleep.

"Lyla?" Zac said hesitantly.

"Leave me alone. I'm concentrating on sleeping."

"Um… it might be easier if you were in something more… comfortable." Zac said.

"What do you mean?" Lyla asked, opening her right eye to look up at Zac as he walked back towards the couch.

"Most people wear something different to sleep in, usually something looser and softer than their normal clothes. And… it's just… I mean…" Zac began to stutter, realizing he was telling Lyla that she should change in his room, most likely into something of his. The thought of her in one of his own shirts caused him to catch his breath.

"Oh. Okay. Um… should we go to a store then, and buy the right sleeping clothes?" Lyla asked as she sat up and swung her legs to in front of the couch.

"I'm pretty sure most of the shops are closed by now, it's nearly ten o'clock." Zac said.

Lyla just stared at him, waiting for him to give her a solution. When he offered none, she let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. Picking up a dark navy blue t-shirt from the floor, she asked "How about this?"

"I… yeah… that's… that's fine." Zac nodded.

Lyla gave a slight nod of confirmation. Then, with no warning, she reached down to lift her own shirt and tank top over her head.

"Wait!" Zac exclaimed, leaping forward and bracing her hands with his own before she could undress.

"What's your problem? I thought I was supposed to change into something more comfortable." Lyla said, confused and frustrated.

Once again, Zac marveled at her untainted view of the world and innocent naivety about some things.

"Why don't you go change in the bathroom?" Zac suggested.

"Fine." Lyla said, swiftly turning and making her way towards the bathroom.

Zac let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as he flopped onto the couch. This arrangement was turning out to be harder than he thought, for reasons he hadn't anticipated. It left him feeling even more confused about where he stood with Lyla, and about what she wanted from him. He had to keep reminding himself that she'd never _been_ in a relationship before, the entire concept was completely new to her.

Zac still wasn't sure what he would tell his parents. He knew they wouldn't be thrilled about the news that a young girl they'd never met would now be living in their son's room. He couldn't turn Lyla away though, not now. If they simply wouldn't allow it, then he'd move out. He'd rent his own apartment, and he and Lyla could live there. Maybe a small place overlooking the ocean… downtown would be nice…

"What do you think?" Lyla asked as she walked out of the bathroom, smiling as she modeled her new outfit.

Zac suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. Lyla was wearing his navy blue t-shirt… and nothing else. The shirt hit at her mid-thigh, showcasing her long, tan legs that moved gracefully as she crossed the room. Her golden hair hung in loose natural waves around her shoulders. Lyla was glowing, as if she were illuminated from the inside.

Lyla watched as various emotions played out on Zac's face. It frustrated her that she didn't know what was going on inside of his head, it would make things so much easier. She bit her lip, suddenly self-conscious now that Zac wasn't responding. He was just… staring. His eyes looked as if they were glazed over. Lyla had never seen him… she'd never seen anyone… looking like that. It was an emotion she had no words for.

"I have to…" Zac stood up and bolted for the bathroom, locking the door behind him before he could finish his sentence.

Inside the bathroom, Zac leaned against the sink as he panted. He'd _never_ looked at Evie that way. They're relationship had always been sweet, consisting of chaste kisses and hand holding. Why was it so different with Lyla? With Lyla… he _wanted_ her in ways he hadn't ever explored before. Lyla made him feel things that he'd never felt.

Zac realized that while Lyla was staying in his room, he probably wouldn't be able to get much sleep.

Zac tried to calm his thoughts. He brushed his teeth and swished water in his mouth, careful not to get the liquid anywhere else so he wouldn't fall to the ground with a tail. Even now with months of practice, he still didn't quite have the hang of navigating life on land without coming in contact with water

Running a hand through his hair, Zac studied his reflection in the mirror. He looked fine, maybe he could use a haircut, but not much he could do about that right now. Zac paused, realizing that the reason he was concerned about his looks was because of Lyla and what she thought of him. Shaking his head, Zac turned and opened the door back to his room.

"Sorry Lyla, I didn't mean to-" Zac stopped mid-sentence.

Sprawled out on the couch was Lyla, fast asleep atop the mountain of pillows and blankets. Zac smiled, and then turned red as he realized how high up the t-shirt was riding on Lyla's hips. About to turn away, he noticed that she was still wearing her sneakers as she lay in bed.

He slowly walked over, trying not to make a sound so he wouldn't wake her up. Kneeling in front of her feet, Zac carefully untied each sneaker. First her left foot, then her right. With the sort of finesse you would expect from someone putting the finishing touches on a prized piece of art, Zac removed Lyla's shoes. Then, as gently as he could, Zac slid her thin cotton socks off her feet to reveal ten perfectly formed toes complete with naturally pink nails.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Zac leaned down and softly kissed each of Lyla's toes.

Lyla sighed in her sleep, shifting her head from facing right to facing left. Zac stilled, waiting to see if she'd wake up. When she didn't, Zac stood up and carefully extracted one of the blankets from beneath her. He spread the worn down yellow quilt over Lyla, and then pulled it up to her chin and tucked it around her shoulders to make sure she stayed warm through the night.

Satisfied that Lyla was now as comfortable as she could be, Zac wandered back to his own side of the room. He stripped off his shirt and changed into a pair of grey sweats before turning off the lights and climbing into bed.

Zac smiled as he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts pleasantly full of Lyla.


End file.
